The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1887-12-09
TALMAGE5 SERMON.
King David's Thirst During a Bat
tie With the Philistines.
The Refreshing Drau=ht From the W ell
of bethlehem Compared With the
Perpetual JOY Drawn From
the Well of the Gospel.


The subject of a recent sermon by Rev.
T. De Witt Talmage at the Brooklyn Tab
ernacle was "Thirst in a Cavern" pre-
dicated on the following text:
Oh that one would give me drink Of the water
OF the well Of Bethlehem, which is by the safe.
II. Samuel, xiii, 15
War, always distressing, is especially
ruinous in harvest time. When the crops
are all ready for the sickle, to have them
trodden down by cavalry horses and
heavy supply -trains outlying the fields,
is enough to make any mans heart sick.
when the last great war broke out in Eu-
rope, and France and Germany were COM
ing into horrid collision, 1 rode across
their golden harvests and saw their tents
pitched, and the trenches dug in the very
midst of the ripe- fields, the long scythe of
battle sharpening to NOW down harvests
of men in great winrows of the dead. 1t
was at this season of harvest that the
army of the Philistines came down upon
Bethlehem. Hark to the clamor of their
voices. the neighing of their chargers, the
blare of their trumpets, and the clash of
their shieldsI
Let David aud his men fall backi The
Lords host sometimes loses the day. But
David knew where to hide. He had been
brought up in that country. Boys are in
ouisitive, and they know all about the
region where they were born and brought
up. If you should go back to the old home
stead, you could, with your eyes shut, find
your way to the meadow, or the orchard,
or the hill back of the house, with which
you were familiar thirty or forty years
ago. So David knew the cave at Adullam.
Perhaps, in his boyhood days, he had
played "hide-and-s seek" with his comrades
all about the old cave, and though others
might not have known it, David did.
Travellers say there is only one way of
getting into that cave, and that is by
very narrow path; but David was stout,
and steady-headed, and steady-nerved,
and so, with his three brave staff-ofFicers,
he goes along that path, finds his way
into the cave, sits down, looks around at
the roof and the dark passages of the
mountain, feels very weary with the
forced march; and water he must have or
die.
1 do net know but there may have been
drops trickling down the side of the cav
ern, or that there may have been some
water in the goat skin slung to his girdle,
but that was not what he wanted. He
wanted u deep, full, cold drink, such as a
man gets only out of an old we'll with
moss covered bucket David remembered
that very near that cave of Adullam there
was such a well as that well to which
he used to go in boyhood-the well of
Bethlehem; and he almost imagines that
he can hear the liquid piash of that well,
and his parched tongue moves through his
hot lips "a he says:
OH that one would give me drink of the wa
tes of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the
gate.
It was no sooner said than done. The
three brave staff officers bound to their
feet and start. Brave soldiers will take
even a hint from their commander
But between them and the well
lay the hCst of the Philistines; and what
could three men do with a great army?
Yet where there is a will there is
way, and with their swords slashing this
way and that, they make their path to
the well. While the Philistines are
amazed at the seeming foolhardiness of
these three men, and can not make up
their minds exactly what it means, the
three men have come to the well. They
drop the bucket. They bring up the
water. They pour it in the pail, and then
start for the cave. stStop them ~ cry the
Philistineg. "Clip them with your
swords Stab them with your spears.
Stop those three menI" Too late. They
have got around the hill The hot rocks
are spl ashed with the overhowing water
from the vessel as it is carried up the
cliffs. The three men go along the dan
gerous path, and with cheeks flushed
+ with the excitement, and all out of breath
in their haste, to the side of the cave, and
/ cry out to David: 'There, captain of the
host, is what you wanted, drink of the
/ well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate"
/ A text is of no use to me unless can
find Christ in it; and unless 1 can bring n
gospel out of these words, that will
/ arouse and comfort and bless, I shall wish
4 I had never seen them; for your time
would be wasted, and against my soul the
dark record would be made that this day
I stood before great audience of SHINING,
suffering aud dying men, and told them
of no rescue. By the cross of the Son Of
( God, by the throne of the eternal judg-
ment, that shall not bel May the Lord
Jesus help me to tell you the truth to-
day!
You know that carrier pigeons have
/ sometimes let ters tied under their wings,
and they fly hundreds of miles-one hum
dred miles an hour-carrying a message.
So 1 have thought I would like to have it
now. oh, heavenly dove! bring under
thy wing to-day, to my soul and to the
souls of this people, some message Of light,
and love, and peace!
1t is not an unusual thing to see people
gather around a we'll in summertime
The hus bandman puts down his cradle al
the we'll curb. The builder puts down his
trovveL The traveller puts down his pack.
Then one draws the water for all the rest
himself taking the very last. The cup Is
passed around and the fires of thirst ARD
put out; the traveller starts on his jour.
ney and the workman takes up his bur-
den.
by friends, we come to-day around the
Gospel well. We put down our pack OF
burdens, and our implements of toll. One
man must draw the waters for those who
have gathered around the well I will
try and draw the water today; and it,
after have poured out from this living
fountain for your soul, just taste of il
myself, You viii not begrudge me
A drink from the water of the well Of Bethie.
hem, which is b the gate.
The Gospel well, like the well spoken o
in the text, is a we'll of Bethlehem. Davi(
had known hundreds OF wells of water
but he wanted to drink from that particu
lar ono, and he thought nothing coulc
slake his thirst like that. And unless you
soul and mine can get access to the foun
tain open for sin and uncleanness
we must die. That fountain is tn
well of Bethlehem. It was dul
in one night. It was dug by tho light o
a lantern-the star that hung dowl
over the manger. 1t was dui
not at the gate Of Cesar
/ palaces, not IN the park Of Jerusalem
bargain -maker. It was dug IN a barn
The cames lifted their weary heads {
listen as the work went on. The sheI
herds, unable TO sleep, because the heas
ems were filed with bands Of music, cam
down to see the opening Of the Tell. Tn
angels of God, az the first gush OF the liz
ing water, dipped their chalices Of 10.
into it, aud drank to the health Of cart
and Heaven, as they cried:
Glory 70 God in ths highest and on cart
peace.
Sometimes ia our modern barns th
water IS brought throaSh the pipes n tll
cifv 10 the very nosgrila Of the horses O
caftIe. but this we'll IN the Bethlehem Tar